A Gianluca Scamacca transfer return to Italy is on the cards after the Italian had a season to forget in the Premier League. The 24 year old has struggled to make a major impression in England and Inter Milan appear set to beat off competition from other Serie A clubs for his signature.
Inter are already believed to have bid around €20m for Scamacca. West Ham are holding out for a bit more though and are in a surprisingly strong bargaining position given Roma were also keen on his signature. Reports in Italy suggest an agreement between the clubs is now close with the deal expected to feature a €25m initial fee plus bonuses that could amount to €5m.
Inter are likely to reach an agreement with West Ham for Gianluca Scamacca (24) for a fee of €25m plus bonuses of €5m, report Sky Italia.https://t.co/hmVHBJoSgV
— Get Italian Football News (@_GIFN) August 1, 2023
That’s a deal that should suit all parties. West Ham would be getting a good fee for a player who hasn’t ever really looked like the right fit at London Stadium while Inter would be acquiring the services of a striker who was very impressive and netted 16 goals during the 2021/22 Serie A season at Sassuolo.
West Ham cut their losses on striker
West Ham signed Scamacca last summer for a fee of around €36m. That made him one of the club’s most expensive ever signings and understandably excitement was high that he’d be the striker David Moyes had been seeking for some time.
However it hasn’t worked out with Scamacca scoring just 3 Premier League goals last season and only making 11 starts in the English top flight. The Italian was a bit more effective in the UEFA Conference League where he scored 5 times, averaging a goal every 79 minutes. However most of those goals came against relatively weak opposition in the group stage with his only knockout stage goal coming in a dominant 6-0 Hammers aggregate win in the Round of 16 against AEK Larnaca.
That game is likely to prove Scamacca’s final competitive appearance in a West Ham shirt. Knee injuries plagued him during the second half of the season and compounded what was a pretty miserable campaign for the Italian overall.
Given the striker’s lack of goals and injury woes, West Ham will feel they’ve done well to at least cut their losses on Scamacca. Should he prove a hit again in Serie A, Inter could end up paying as much as €30m for the player meaning the Premier League club would only make a relatively small loss on the transfer.
The right man for Inter?
It’s not a surprise to see Serie A clubs keen on Scamacca given how prolific he was for Sassuolo the season before last. The powerful striker netted a goal every 135 minutes in Serie A 2021/22 having also impressed during a loan spell at Genoa the previous year.
Inter have cash to spend having sold the likes of Andre Onana, Andrea Pinamonti and Marcelo Brozovic already this summer. They are looking for a replacement for Romelu Lukaku who spent last season on loan at San Siro.
The clear need is for a target man with strong aerial abilities to play alongside the more intricate Lautaro Martinez up front for the Italian giants. In theory, Scamacca should compliment the Argentina international quite well and while he doesn’t arrive with quite as impressive a track record as Lukaku, this could be a good opportunity for the 24 year old to relaunch his career at one of the biggest clubs in Italy.
